INSPIRATION:As the world steadily becomes a more urban environment, with people seeking recreation outdoors in public spaces, the deployment of street furniture of high design values will be of vital importance to our quality of life. Zephyr architectural form is designed to be a sculptural element. Zephyr is an alternative, sophisticated and functional solution to the standard "just a bent piece of pipe" bike parking facility.

UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION:ZEPHYR is a stunning short or long term bicycle storage. Incorporate it into a cutting edge architectural setting and it becomes a sculptured bollard. It is a gathering point, a place to stop, to chat, to bide a while with friends. Or then again, is it simply a beautiful piece of public sculpture, one that invites you to run your hands over its sumptuous metallic form, its smooth and generous curves? Zephyr's one-piece casting can be 100 percent recycled and remelted at its end of life.

OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION:Zephyr can be mounted on various ground surface with various installation kit including surface mount, anchoring kit even removable options.

PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION:The design and development of Zephyr was undertaken in Geelong Australia, starting in April 2012 and finished in April 2014.

PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY:The brief is to design a bike rack that is more than' just a bent piece of pipe'. Located in a seaside city, the design team took inspiration from natural surroundings. The technical challenges faced throughout the design stage were to marry a very complex one-piece casting to technologies and expertise available locally in Australia. Zephyr's one-piece aluminium casting can be 100% recycled and remelted at its end of life.

RESEARCH ABSTRACT:Key research centred around meeting relevant standards while achieving a design that was aesthetically pleasing, durable and cost effective to manufacture and install. Having settled on the casting locally, we need to find an abrasion and chip resistant coating to maximize the products need for functionality and low maintenance. Final thermoplastic powder coating application offers Zephyr extensive protection against aggressive treatment with chipping, weather and vandal resistance.

CHALLENGE: The challenge was to design a multifunctional piece of street furniture with a strong sculptural form. From its earliest concepts, the creative challenge to provide an alternative, sophisticated and functional solution to the standard 'just a bent piece of pipe' bike parking facility. We wanted a product that while being capable of being manufactured in mass, still had the look and feel of a 'one-of' bespoke piece of sculpture.

The Zephyr Multifunctional Bike Storage Bollard by Barrier Group is a Nominee in Street Furniture Design Category.

· This project is currently confidential as results have not been announced yet. Images and further details of the project is not available for public yet, please check back later. If you are the owner of this design, please login to view the images.

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